During the next several months, the burn staff had to reconstruct Brian’s exterior shell—the gatekeeper against deadly infections. Using skin from cadavers and grafts from what little skin he had left, surgeons stapled together an intricate quilt of skin.

This blanket of cadaver skin was just temporary; it bought the physicians enough time to have Brian’s own skin grown in a lab from a small graft. When his new skin arrived, cut into squares the size of mini Post-It notes, doctors repeated the grueling process of scraping off the old skin and stitching on the new.

To keep Brian alive, surgeons had to sacrifice his infected limbs—his forearms were amputated, part of his left leg was gone, and he was still in danger of losing his right foot. He endured 19 surgeries during the several months he was at the Oregon Burn Center. Three weeks later, Brian regained consciousness.

He later lost his vision, hands and fingers.

What about the engagement? Haley had a big decision to make. When she promised to spend the rest of her life with Brian, he was everything she’d ever dreamed of—physically, emotionally and spiritually. Things were different now.

But Haley’s response? “I just doesn’t matter to me how Brian looks on the outside,” she said. “He’s still the same on the inside. I still see that boyish smile. I still share the dream of someday raising a family.”

Two years after the accident, Brian and Haley were married. Brian wears his wedding ring on a chain around his neck, and the doctors say he can father a child. “I thank God every day for another chance to live,” he says. “I especially thank Him for Haley. Someday, we’ll have kids!”

The community rallied around the young couple and collected enough funds to build them a special home with ramps for Brian’s wheelchair. And today, seven years after the accident, Haley still doesn’t question her commitment to Brian. She knows true beauty comes from the soul and real identity comes from a solid relationship with the Creator.

Know It!
God can use you just the way you are! He wants to help you discover your true identity in Him, and He yearns to guide you into developing a positive self-image of yourself. He wants your identity to come from the fact that you have incredible value to Him!

Read It!
Genesis 2:7; Judges 3:15-21; Romans 13:9.

Pray It!
Thank God for the privilege of being made in His image. Ask Him to help you accept yourself just as you are.

Check out yesterday’s devo, Identification Station II.